Not long after the call ended, Lu Yuan arrived at the entrance of the restaurant Liu Zhe had mentioned.
The restaurant looked quite grand, and the decoration must have cost a lot.
But what was strange was that all the waitstaff inside were dressed in maid outfits.
These maid uniforms weren’t revealing; rather, they were more classical, long skirt styles.
It was the first time Lu Yuan had seen such a place.
The prices here must start in the four digits.
However, Lu Yuan didn’t really care. Although she couldn’t afford a car right now, she could still afford a slightly expensive meal.
She wore a simple JK uniform, white on top and black below, without any special decoration.
Her hair was casually tied at the back, and her face was bare, without any makeup.
At this moment, she looked like a delicate but somewhat lazy and tired high school girl—not a magical girl at all—making her slightly out of place in the rather formal environment.
***
She yawned and glanced around, quickly locking eyes on the spot where Liu Zhe and Qing were seated.
“Miss Lu Yuan! Over here! You’re early.” Liu Zhe stood up to greet her.
Lu Yuan waved her hand, pulled out a chair, and sat down opposite Qing. “Just bored to death, almost fell asleep on the floor…”
As she spoke, her gaze naturally landed on Qing sitting across from her.
“Oh? Qing’s here too.” Lu Yuan was a little surprised; she hadn’t expected Liu Zhe to bring Qing along.
“That’s right. After all, I’m her agent; I have to take good care of her.” Liu Zhe replied.
“Choosing such a luxurious restaurant, are you planning to really treat me well?” Lu Yuan smiled.
“Oh, come on, you know I’m on good terms with the owner of this place.” Liu Zhe said.
***
From the moment Lu Yuan appeared, Qing’s eyes were glued to her.
She pursed her lips slightly, as if wanting to say something, just staring so intently.
Lu Yuan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at and touched her face. “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
Qing immediately shook her head, then, as if remembering something extremely important, lowered her head and began typing rapidly on her phone with a very serious expression.
Lu Yuan and Liu Zhe exchanged a glance, and Liu Zhe gave a meaningful smile, making Lu Yuan even more puzzled.
Then Qing finally finished typing. She held her phone out with both hands toward Lu Yuan as if presenting an extremely precious treasure.
On the screen were only four characters, plus a period:
“Like. Lu Yuan.”
***
… Lu Yuan froze instantly, her eyes slightly widening, a flash of surprise and confusion crossing her face.
Her gaze flickered between the screen and Qing’s very serious face, her mind seeming to short-circuit for a few seconds.
“Uh… this… thank you?” Lu Yuan scratched her cheek awkwardly, voice uncertain. “I… also… quite like you, Qing. You’re very well-behaved.”
What was up with this kid? Suddenly saying “like” out of nowhere…
Obviously, Lu Yuan just took Qing’s words as a child’s way of expressing dependence.
Liu Zhe watched Lu Yuan’s completely clueless reaction with some amusement; it was exactly what he expected.
He’d already noticed that both of them were a bit dense.
Qing looked at Lu Yuan’s reaction, then at the phone screen again, seeming somewhat confused by Lu Yuan’s friend-like response.
She tilted her head slightly but eventually put her phone away, though her gaze never left Lu Yuan.
***
Just then, a waitress arrived with menus, breaking the delicate atmosphere.
“Come, come, order, order! Miss Lu Yuan is treating us, so I won’t hold back.” Liu Zhe took the menu with a laugh and began recommending dishes expertly. “The roasted ribs and creamy mushroom pasta here are really good. Since Miss Qing can’t eat anything too greasy, maybe try the steamed fish…”
Liu Zhe and Lu Yuan handled most of the ordering while Qing listened quietly, occasionally nodding gently when Liu Zhe asked if something was okay.
The food arrived quickly. Liu Zhe took a few bites, then just at the right moment, his phone rang.
He pulled it out and answered.
“Hello? Oh! Director Li! Hello, hello! What? There’s something urgent about the afternoon shoot plan that needs confirmation? Now? Do I really have to come over? Alright, alright, I’ll be right back!”
Liu Zhe hung up and looked at the two with a helpless expression.
“Ah, sorry, Miss Lu Yuan. Something urgent came up at the studio. I have to go back immediately.” He stood up, grabbed his coat. “You two take your time eating. I’ll come back later to pick up Miss Qing for work, okay?”
“Oh, okay…”
Before Lu Yuan could finish, Liu Zhe had already slipped away like oil on the floor.
***
Only Lu Yuan and Qing were left at the table.
Lu Yuan didn’t understand why Liu Zhe suddenly dashed off like that. She had seen his phone screen—it was black, with no incoming calls, only an alarm.
What was going on with that guy?
The atmosphere turned a bit quiet; they could even hear faint laughter from the next table.
Lu Yuan looked at Qing, who was eating small bites very seriously, feeling a little uneasy.
She tried to find a topic: “Um… was the shoot tiring?”
Qing looked up at her, shook her head, then put down her utensils and took out her phone again to type.
【Not tiring. Mr. Liu, very good.】
“Oh, that’s good.” Lu Yuan nodded, took a piece of meat with her fork and chewed a few times, then couldn’t help but ask, “So… did Liu Zhe say something to you? Why did you suddenly…”
She thought of that blunt “like,” feeling a bit flushed.
***
Qing looked at Lu Yuan, her pale green eyes reflecting the restaurant’s soft light.
She lowered her head slightly, fingers moving more slowly on the screen this time, as if carefully weighing each word.
She turned the phone screen toward Lu Yuan.
【He taught me what liking is.】
【Liking is when there’s something delicious, the first person you want to share it with.】
【He also asked me about my favorite things, the happiest moments.】
That Liu Zhe! Of all things to teach her, he taught Qing some strange stuff!
Just as Lu Yuan was about to make a sarcastic remark, she saw the next message.
【I told him the answers to those questions were all the same.】
【Lu Yuan.】
***
Lu Yuan’s chewing slowly stopped.
She stared at those lines, especially at her own name at the end, feeling as if her heart was gently struck by something, a tender, aching warmth spreading through her.
Suddenly, she understood.
That “like” just now wasn’t the childish dependence she had assumed.
Instead, Qing was seriously learning a concept that was hard for her to grasp, and the purest conclusion she could come to.
The girl before her was showing her sincere feelings in the clumsiest yet most direct way.
Lu Yuan opened her mouth but didn’t know how to respond.
“I see… I understand now.”
She paused, then relaxed into a smile.
“Thank you for liking me, Qing.”
“I also think meeting you is a very, very good thing.”
***
Qing watched Lu Yuan’s smile carefully, listening to her words, and smiled back.
She lowered her head again, but this time didn’t type.
Instead, she delicately picked up the most tender, boneless piece of fish from her plate and carefully placed it onto Lu Yuan’s plate.
Then she looked at her expectantly.
Liking someone feels like wanting to share the best food with them first.
Lu Yuan stared at the extra piece of fish on her plate, stunned at first, then her soft heart was completely touched.
“Thank you.” She picked up the piece of fish and put it in her mouth, savoring it carefully.
Then she nodded firmly. “Mmm! It’s delicious!”
Qing watched quietly as she ate, smiling happily.
***
Lunch ended in a subtle and warm atmosphere.
Lu Yuan called over a waitress to prepare the bill.
“Hello, the total is four hundred twenty-seven yuan. Will that be cash or card?” The waitress smiled, handing over the bill.
“Card.” Lu Yuan was a bit surprised. For such a fancy restaurant, she had expected the meal to cost four digits and was prepared for an extra zero.
Just as Lu Yuan reached out to take the bill, a voice of extreme shock interrupted:
“W-wait! I’ll pay!”
The voice sounded very familiar, and Lu Yuan turned around curiously.
The owner of the voice had blue hair and was wearing the restaurant’s waitress uniform, her mouth twitching as she looked at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan recognized who she was.
“L-Lin Wan?!”